Hambo
by songoftheriver
Summary: He used to have two Hambos. Now he only has one.


_Recently on my Marshall Lee roleplay blog, I've been writing out my own memories and dreams for Marshall. Some of my followers asked me to upload them here so that they will have easier access to them. For a link to my Marshall Lee blog, go to my profile._

_This particular story is about Marshall and Hambo. Well, not the teddy bear. I had a little headcanon that Marshall named his teddy bear after someone he knew before the Mushroom War. I also noticed that in the episode Memory of a Memory, Marceline didn't seem as tough as a child, so that's why I made Marshall a little different here. He's a little kid here, so don't expect him to be all wild rocker child running with wolves._

_Please review!_

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><p><strong>Hambo<strong>

_**Freak why do you exist shouldn't you be dead you were never meant to exist just die we hate you what are you looking at you freak you can never be loved by anyone that's why your mother left you're not normal just look at those fangs he must be a monster go back to the depths of hell you little freak stay away from us you can never be like us you will always be alone just die already just die just die just die**_

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><p>Marshall sat alone, as always, on the park bench, his eyes locked on the children running around and playing around the large oak tree. For the past several years, the large oak tree had been the official hang out for kids around the ages of 7-13. There were three tire swings, a rope ladder that led up to the tall, sturdy branches that were seldom bare, and many names and memories were carved onto the bark.<p>

One of the most popular carvings read: "Marshall Lee is a freak of nature". Many replies and pictures have been drawn around it, all of them in favor the of the statement. None of the kids in the town liked Marshall, and the adults were the exact same way. After all, what kind of kid had fangs, blue skin, and pointed ears? He was not normal. To everyone that saw him, he was a freak that stepped out of the Twilight Zone.

The strange child hugged his knees to his chest, the aching feeling og being alone stabbing at him with every laugh he heard. What was it like to laugh along with somebody… He sniffed and closed his eyes. It was best to not gaze upon things he could never have…

"Hey, you're that Marshall Lee kid, right?"

Marshall opened his eyes and looked up, only to see a red headed boy looking back down at him, a look of curiosity burning in his green-blue eyes.

"C-Can I help you?" Marshall stammered, fearing more insults.

"Yeah…" The boy sat down next to him on the bench and began to examine Marshall's irregular ears. "Your ears are cool. They reminds me of elves or something. Not the lame Santa Claus ones, but the cool ones from that movie Lord of the Rings. Did you see that movie?"

"No… the movie theater is scary…"

"Scary? It's the coolest place ever!"

"Oh… Sorry," Marshall replied, his heart racing with fear and disbelief. When was the kid going to get it over with? _Just hurt me and leave… Don't make me think that you actually like talking to me…_

The kid shook his head and flashed a goofy grin, revealing his somewhat crooked, yellow-ish teeth. "Nah, it's fine. It can be scary sometimes, but don't worry about it! Anyway, my name's Hambo."

"I'm Marshall… Marshall Lee…"

"I know that, silly," Hambo laughed, "Everyone in town knows who you are… But they're all kinda scared of you, though. Dunno why. From talking to you, I can tell you're a little softie."

Marshall's face reddened with embarrassment at the term. He had heard some of the other boys call girls that before… Did that mean this Hambo kid thought he was like a girl? He frowned and shook his head. "I'm no softie! I'm tough as rocks!"

"Right… Hey, aren't you bored just sitting here by yourself? C'mon, let's go to the tree!"

"I can't! I'm not allowed to go there!"

"Says who?"

"Everyone…"

Hambo sighed and pursed his lips, frowning as he tried to think of what to do about the predicament. "Well," he chewed out, shrugging, "We can go somewhere else… Oh! Let's go down to the creek!"

"U-Um, Hambo…?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you talking to me?" Might as well get the truth out now before he wound up being betrayed. Was this some kind of dare? Was he just going to toy with him and then kick him down in the end? The inhuman child bit his lip, fearing the worst. "I mean… I'm not normal… I'm a huge freak, according to everyone else… So why…"

Hambo watched as Marshall slowly expressed his fear. It was easy to see, to be honest. The look in his eyes nearly screamed, "If you're going to hurt me, get it over with".

"Well… For starters, I think you look pretty cool. I read a lot of comic books and stuff, and there's always some guys like you that are called freaks by everyone." Hambo paused and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small figurine of a large, green man with bulging muscles and a nasty look carved onto his face. Marshall looked at it cautiously. "See this dude? He's the Incredible Hulk. A lot of people thought he was a complete freak, and they didn't like him at all. But it turns out, Hulk is actually a super nice guy, and he saves the day sometimes!"

"You think I'm super nice?"

"After talking to you, sure! You haven't sucked my soul out… Oh, wait," Hambo paused and muttered bitterly, "I forgot that I don't have a soul, according to those kids over there…"

Marshall blinked in surprise. "You don't have a soul? How does that work?"

"No, I do have a soul. It's just a stupid joke… Since I'm the only red head in town, all those butts over there are always talking… Anyway, let's get going to the creek!"

Marshall chewed his lip as Hambo jumped off the bench and started to run off in the direction of the creek, his mind buzzing with confusion and hope. Maybe… Maybe Hambo really did want to be his friend… But what if it was all some joke? What if…

"Hey, Mar Mar!" Hambo shouted out, looking over his shoulder. "Hurry up, you butt!"

"Coming!" Marshall replied, crawling off the bench and running after the other boy. His stomach started to churn with excitement. Was this… Was this what people called friendship?

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><p>Marshall ran along the dirt road, his new teddy bear bouncing up and down in his little purple backpack. The young boy couldn't wait to tell his friend, Hambo, about the gift his mother gave to him! His mother's visits were rare, and gifts were even more so. However, this time, Marshall's mother had arrived with a new friend for her lonely son. The teddy bear was new and smelled like his mother's perfume, which made the little toy even more precious.<p>

Upon reaching his friend's house, Marshall began to shout, "Hey! Hambo! Hambo! Come outside! Look at what I got!"

He turned around the corner and raced through his friend's yard, grinning with excitement. A few moments later, his friend, Hambo opened the gate that led to the backyard, his face and clothes streaked with dirt. He had been gardening with his mother again, no doubt. "Hey, Mar Mar! What's all the hollering about?" the boy asked, sniffing and wiping his nose. The unusual child grinned and shrugged off his backpack. He then reached in and pulled out the teddy bear, his face beaming with pride and joy.

"Look at what Mommy got me!"

Hambo's eyes lit up. "Woah, your mom got you something? That's awesome!" He grinned and wiped away at the dirt on his face, revealing his freckles. "So, what'cha going to name it?"

"I haven't thought of a name, yet…"

Hambo grinned and pointed to himself. "How about you name it after me? Then it'd be ten times cooler!" He wiped the dirt from his hands on his shirt, and then patted the teddy bear's head. A bit of dirt was smudged against the fabric, but Marshall didn't really mind.

"That sounds like a great idea! Now I have two Hambos!"

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><p>"Such a shame… It's always heartbreakn' when war robs us of children. Children didn't do nothing. Children just laugh and bring smiles to people."<p>

"I heard he was playing by the river when the bombs hit…" "His parents died months ago from the first wave of bombs. At least he isn't alone anymore."

"It's such a shame. He was a good kid. If only the bombs had rid us of that kid."

"Wasn't he with him at the river? How did he survive?"

"He's a freak, that's what… It's such a gosh'durn shame. This little boy was one of the nicest kids on the street. He put up with that thing."

Marshall sat at the very back of the church, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He hugged his tattered, ruined bear to his chest, whispering, "I've only got one Hambo now…"


End file.
